For decades, hot water bottles have been known for their usefulness in relieving pain. But why? What is it about a high quality hot water bottle that makes it so useful in treating aches and pains?
To make it easy to understand, let’s take a look at what professional athletes do every season.
Whether it’s a tough contact sport like football or hockey, or an endurance sport like marathon running or long distance swimming, athletes push their bodies to the limit.
Every day they train intensely, stressing their muscles and joints in a way most people can only imagine. Aches and pains are a daily part of their lives. Sadly, so is injury.
The sports medicine profession learned long ago--through years of testing, experimentation, and treatment--that the human body responds and recovers best when treatments help nature do its job. Anything that increases circulation and reduces inflammation tends to help recovery from aches, pains, and injury.
So various forms of heat and cold therapy are used to do exactly that:
BENEFICIAL SAFE HEAT INCREASES BLOOD FLOW
We all know that heat makes things expand. Athletic trainers use hot packs to help championship athletes increase blood flow, circulation, and recovery. Similarly, using a hot water bottle is a great way to increase blood flow to aching, tired muscles and joints, and can help the body recover more quickly.
BENEFICIAL SAFE USE OF COLD CAN REDUCE INFLAMMATION AND PAIN
We know that cold makes things contract. Athletic trainers use cold packs and ice baths to help championship athletes reduce swelling and inflammation to aid recovery. Similarly, using a hot water bottle filled with cold water is a great way to reduce swelling and inflammation, reduce pain, and lead you on the road to recovery.
ALTERNATING ICE AND HEAT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE
Athletic trainers often alternate ice and heat to shift muscular systems in and out of expansion and contraction, helping accelerate the body’s own ability to heal. Try alternating hot and cold water bottle treatments to help maximize pain relief and recovery.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Hot water bottles aren’t just a good idea passed down through generations. They work because of the science of heat and cold in pain relief and recovery. They’re a great way to comfort, relieve, and recover.